Adapter plug

• US 8,142,208 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2009
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Worldconnect AG (Cellularline SpA)
• Original Assignee: Walter Ruffner
• Inventors: Ruffner, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Harshad
• Application Number:
  US12/999,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20110111634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 439/172, 439105-107, 439/957, 439/101
• US Class Current: 439/105
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4534 Laterally sliding shutter
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/506 assembled by snap action of the parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/652 with earth pin, blade or socket
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/655 with earth brace
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/68 mounted on directly pluggable apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/70 with additional earth or shield contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/00 Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts for dissimilar contact members H01R13/35; supported only by co-operation with a counterpart H01R31/00; with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/90
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/06 Intermediate parts for linking two coupling parts, e.g. adapter with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/94

Abstract

The invention relates to a three-pole adapter plug (11), comprising, on a first side, a safety plug (13) with two pins (31, 33) and two earth conductors (23,24), in particular a hybrid plug according to the standard CEE 7/7 with an additional contact sleeve (49.5) for a FR earth pin. On the second side, opposite to the first side the adapter has a socket (15) for at least one plug of British standard. A housing (41,43) for the adapter plug (11) forms a safety plug body (21). Contact sleeves (45.3, 47.3, 49.3) for such plugs to British Standards are arranged within the safety plug body (21). According to the invention, one of said earth conductors (23) of the safety plug (13) forms a contact sleeve (49.3) for the UK earth pin on the inner side thereof.

Claims

1. A three-pole adapter plug of the standard CEE 7/7 with an additional contact sleeve for a FR grounded pin, comprising:

a plug assembly, a first side of the plug assembly having a grounded plug comprising two pins and two grounded conductors;

a second side of the plug assembly, opposite to the first side, having a socket for at least one plug of British standard;

a housing of the plug assembly forming a grounded insertion body; and

a plurality of contact sleeves for plug pins of British standards being arranged within the grounded insertion body, one of the plurality of contact sleeves for the grounded pin of British standard being arranged in a same plane of symmetry as the two grounded conductors of the grounded plug, the plurality of contact sleeves for a three-pole UK plug are accommodated completely within a closed grounded insertion body, the grounded insertion body not being rotationally symmetrical in rounded parts thereof.

2. The adapter plug of claim 1, wherein at least in a region where a UK neutral conductor sleeve and a UK phase contact sleeve are arranged, the housing of the grounded insertion body has a non-cylindrical shape.

3. The adapter plug of claim 1, wherein in a region that diametrically opposes regions of the plug housing of the grounded insertion body has a non-cylindrical shape.

4. The adapter plug of claim 1, wherein the grounded conductor that is adjacent to the contact sleeve of the UK grounded pin has a smaller spacing from a cylinder encompassing the insertion body that is within a margin which is compatible with grounded sockets compliant with standards.

5. The adapter plug of claim 1, wherein the outer shape of the insertion body is wider at two locations opposing the grounded conductor that forms the contact sleeve, so at these locations the outer wall of the insertion body extends beyond the maximum cylindrical space defined by standard CEE 7/7.

6. The adapter plug of claim 1, wherein at two of the locations opposing the grounded conductor that forms the contact sleeve the insertion body has two slots in a housing which are filled by the neutral conductor and phase pins of a UK plug inserted in the socket.

7. The adapter plug of claim 1, wherein a grounded contact element is present which forms all grounded contact sleeves for the socket, for the grounded conductors of the grounded plug and, optionally, for the contact sleeve for the FR grounded pin.

8. The adapter plug of claims claim 1, wherein a phase contact element and a neutral conductor element are present and form the corresponding contact sleeves for the socket and are connected to the pins of the grounded plug.

9. The adapter plug of claim 8, wherein the phase contact element and the neutral conductor contact element each consist of two conductor parts that are connected to each other by the pin of the grounded plug.

10. The adapter plug of claim 1, further comprising a hold-down device that supports the contact sleeves within the insertion body, including the grounded contact element, the phase contact element and the neutral contact element, with respect to the housing.

11. The adapter plug of claim 10, wherein the hold-down device separates the contact sleeves for phase, the contact sleeves for ground and the contact sleeves for the neutral conductor from each other.

12. The adapter plug of claim 11, further comprising grooves formed in the insertion body on the inside of the housing into which the hold-down device extends.

13. The adapter plug of claim 1, further comprising a displaceably mounted make contact is present which may be displaced, counter to a spring force by the UK grounded pin that is to be inserted into the socket, from a position that closes insertion openings for the UK pins into a position that opens the insertion openings.

14. The adapter plug of claim 1, wherein the hold-down device forms a guide for the make contact.

15. The adapter plug of claim 1, wherein the hold-down device comprises a cover supported on the housing through openings in the make contact.